New Market Battlefield State Historical Park and Hall of Valor Museum: Woodson's Missouri Cavalry - Civil War Discovery Trail Sites on Waymarking.com

The New Market Battlefield State Historical Park and Hall of Valor Museum on the Valley & Mountain/Route 11: Winchester to Port Republic section of the Virginia Civil War Discovery Trail is a 280-acre park that features a Civil War museum, a walking tour through the battlefield, and a restored 19th-century farm.

One of the stops is on the battlefield or the Field of Lost Shoes as it was dubbed by a VMI cadet whose shoe was sucked off in the mud of the wheat field -- “Good-bye, Lieutenant, I am killed.” Woodson’s Missouri Cavalry in the Battle of New Market. On May 15, 1864 , Union Gen. Sigel and his 10,000 troops clashed with a small Confederate force of 4000 and cadets from the nearby Virginia Military Institute led by Gen. Breckenridge at the New Market battlefield. Seventy men of the 1st Missouri Cavalry were assigned to Confederate Capt. Charles H. Woodson's command. Because of the lack of horses, the cavalry fought on foot. During the battle that ensued, the Missourians faced heavy fire from the 30th NY artillery battery. In an account Lt. Ed Scott gave of his experiences that day, he said, "Tommy Cave came to me with blood pouring from his neck and said, ‘Good-bye, Lieutenant, I am killed.’ I took his hand and eased him to the ground. These were the last words he spoke." Four men from the MO Cavalry were killed and 35 were wounded.

In 1905, two veterans of the company erected a monument on the New Market battlefield. The simple inscription reads:

This rustic pile
The simple tale will tell:
It marks the spot
Where Woodson’s heroes fell.

Type of site: Battlefield Address: 8895 George Collins Parkway New Market, VA USA 22844 Phone Number: 540-740-3101 Admission Charged: More than $5 Website: [Web Link] Driving Directions: From I-81 take exit 264 at New Market; turn onto Route 211 west and immediately turn right onto Route 305 (George Collins Parkway). Follow "State Historical Park" signs to the main entrance at the end of the Parkway.

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Date Logged Log User Rating   10/12/2011 grayliners visited it 07/17/2011 79scouts visited it 04/30/2011 Sneakin Deacon visited it

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